


Not Quite a Meet Cute

by catmiint



Series: no place for a hero [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/F, Pre-Relationship, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 16:13:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18347150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catmiint/pseuds/catmiint
Summary: Five times they ran into each other (and one time they actually met).Or: Ko’ruri keeps forgetting to ask for a pretty girl’s name.





	Not Quite a Meet Cute

**Author's Note:**

> This is just pure fluff ya know

 

**1\. The problem with spriggans**

 

“This here is Ko’ruri, she also volunteered to help clear out the mines,” Stone Torch gestured towards Ko’ruri, and she glanced away shyly, lifting her hand in a slight wave. Painted Mesa had mentioned that there were some other adventurers he sent off to Copperbell Mines, but she was still uncomfortable with meeting new people. The mannerisms and customs of these Eorzeans were so foreign to her after years of life on the Steppe—Ko just wanted to do her job and let that speak for her. 

 

She only looked back up after Painted Mesa left and took in her party for a few moments. A hyur conjurer, miqo’te monk, and an elezen archer. The elezen archer stopped her, and she found her gaze lingering on the woman’s form. She was tall and lithe but with broad shoulders and nicely muscled arms. Her eyes were green, reminding her of the way gridania looked after it rained. Ko was just struck by how painfully  _ pretty  _ the elezen was. 

 

Ko’ruri tried to put those thoughts out of mind, and waited for a lull in the conversation. When she found one she cleared her throat and murmured quietly, “We best be going soon.” 

 

The others agreed, and they headed off into the mines. They had been warned about the hecatoncheires, but no one had said anything about how many  _ spriggans _ there were. Those fluffy little beasts were infesting the place. Everytime they knocked one down, Ko felt like two more popped up. In the Screaming Dark—which was a horrible thing to name part of a mine—there were so many damned spriggans that the archer at one point grabbed one by the ears and shook it vigorously, yelling “Why are there so many of you!” 

 

A laugh bubbled up in Ko’s throat at the scene despite her attempt to keep her composure. The archer had an exasperated look on her face, and when she dropped the spriggan, it squeaked and began to run off in one direction. “Seriously,  _ why? _ ” She complained, drawing an arrow and shooting it in the back as it tried to scurry away. 

 

Watching this with amusement, Ko’ruri didn’t notice a different spriggan tearing towards her. The spriggan, hellbent on ruining her day, pulled back its huge rock and swung heavily. The tip of the rock slammed into Ko’s face, and the impact making a loud, resounding  _ crack. _ Pain flared up from her nose, and she swore, reacting by bringing her ax down on the spriggan’s head. 

 

Her nose burned with pain as she gingerly reached up to poke at it. A rush of white magic filled her veins, warm and comforting, and she shot a thankful glance at the conjurer. Scolding herself silently, she was sure to be more alert and not let herself get distracted. After another wave a spriggans, a hecatoncheir dropped down from the ledge above. He was quickly disposed of, and they breathed a sigh of relief as there were no more signs of approaching spriggans. 

 

Ko’ruri went to wipe the blood from her broken nose off, but only succeeded in smearing it across her face to mingle with the blood she had been sprayed with during the fight. Her cheeks flushed as she began looking in her bag for anything to clean her blood-splattered face with. She usually kept a cloth around for this purpose, but it seemed she had run out of luck today. 

 

“Here, you can use this,” came the soft, lilting voice of the elezen. Ko’ruri glanced up to see her holding out a finely made handkerchief. It was some sort of silky material and it had stitching the same emerald green color as the elezen’s eyes, obviously custom made with the initials  _ A.D.  _ embroidered in the corner. 

 

“Thank you,” She mumbled under her breath, feeling her heart beat just a little bit faster as she took it from her hands. Carefully, Ko wet the corner of the handkerchief with her waterskien and began to wipe at her face, carefully dabbing at the still tender area around her nose. She became intensely aware of the smell of the cloth, sweet and alluring and faintly like perfume. Briefly the thought that that’s how the elezen’s red hair might smell crossed her mind, and Ko felt her face redden. She coughed and quickly finished cleaning her face, shoving the now soiled cloth in her bag before smiling gratefully at the archer. 

 

Ko’ruri was definitely more than a little distracted throughout the rest of the mines as thoughts of the pretty archer danced through her head. 

  
  
**2\. A helping hand**

 

It certainly wasn’t the first time Ko’ruri had been a prisoner, and she hazarded a guess that it wouldn’t be her last. It was the nature of the lifestyle she lived that she’d cross some people, but never before had the experience rattled her so deeply. The blue flames that Ifrit exhaled washed over her, although they had oddly not burned her. For a split second, she thought them to be harmless until the soldiers with her began reaching plaintively towards Ifrit as they groveled. She watched with horror,  _ What is this? Why am I unaffected?  _

 

“Could it be…?” One of the Amalj’aa started, sneering at her, “Your soul already belongs to another?” 

 

Ko looked around wildly, her thoughts racing. Perhaps it was that voice nestled in her chest, what Minfilia had called the “Echo”, that protected her?

Ifrit’s figure loomed over her, snarling, and she suddenly felt very small. He slammed one clawed hand into the ground and a circle of flames erupted around her. Without waiting for her to react, Ifrit swiped at her and she narrowly avoided it by rolling to one side. She scooped her axe off of the ground where it had been tossed away from her and, taking a deep breath, charged at Ifrit. 

 

She had to duck and weave around Ifrit to avoid his claw swipes and the fire that burst from beneath her. It was  _ exhausting.  _ On top of the sweltering flames, the Thanalan air was hot and sticky. Her back and shoulders ached and screamed at her, each swing of her axe feeling like it took every onze of her energy.  

 

“Need a hand?” A voice called out over the roar of flames. Then, in quick succession, three arrows lodged in Ifrit’s side, as he howled in anger. 

 

Ko looked up to see that elezen archer from Copperbell Mines. Her heart skipped a beat and grateful tears burned in the corner of her eyes—she really wasn’t sure she would have been able to finish off the fight alone. The elezen dexterously handsprung forward and cleared the wall of flames with ease. When she landed on her feet, she pulled her bow back out and notched another arrow with one fluid motion. 

 

“You came at a great time,” Ko’ruri replied breathily as she slammed her axe into one of Ifrit’s hind legs. He whirled around in response, and the archer took advantage of this to send an arrow flying into his eye. 

 

The rest of the fight was by no means  _ easy  _ but the fear and desperation had ebbed from Ko, leaving her only with a steady determination. The support of another adventurer had helped her find her second wind, spurred on by a burst of energy. When Ifrit’s form burst into aether, she breathed a sigh of relief and fell to her knees. Ko was panting to catch her breath and closed her eyes, quietly trying to will her heart to slow from its rapidfire pace. 

 

She let herself sit kneel there for a few moments before slowly and carefully rising to her feet. She rested her axe on her shoulder and wiped sweat from her brow. With a smile, Ko cocked her head towards the archer and said “Thanks for your help—I don’t know if I could of done it myself.” 

 

The elezen, who had been gathering some of the arrows that were still intact, smiled and then ducked her head, “Oh, it was nothing. Thancred sent me ahead while he and some of the Flames dealt with Amalj’aa.” As she mentioned it, they both turned as Thancred’s voice called out. The archer jumped to attention and, in a rush, told Ko’ruri, “I better go see if they need any more help. I’m sure Thancred would want to talk with you.” 

 

Ko nodded, a bit disappointed that she was leaving so soon, and watched her retreating form before turning back to where Ifrit had been felled. She had seen a crystal drop, and she went to collect it now although she’d much rather continue to watch the elezen as she walked away.

  
  
**3\. Dance for me a minute**

 

The Twin Adders had accepted a new wave of recruits, and the Roost was giddy with excitement. There was an impromptu get together at the tavern celebrating with drinking and dancing and revelry. Ko’ruri herself had not joined the Twin Adders, instead having quietly accepted entrance into the Maelstrom to give back to the city that welcomed her into Eorzea, but her half-brother Atlan had. He had an odd connection with the Twelveswood and liked Gridania quite a bit, so he was pleased that his bid to the Twin Adders being accepted. Ko was here to celebrate with him, congratulating him heartily by paying for drinks until he ultimately made a fool of himself. 

 

That had been her devious plan, at least. Then the panicky feeling that had settled in her chest after the fight with Ifrit was flaring up, exasperated by the crowding and noise of the tavern. She quickly went from buying drinks for her brother to buying drinks for her brother and herself until she was feeling loose and light. 

 

“Come on Atlan, dance with me!” Ko cried, grabbing one of her half-brother’s large hands and trying to tug him off of his seat. 

 

“The whole room’s spinning, I just want to sit down,” he grumbled, pulling his hand from her grip. Instead he bumped one of his horns against Ko’s, the brief contact reassuring and filling her with warmth. 

 

“Oh, you’re no fun,” she responded with a huff and arms crossed over her chest. 

 

“You can find someone else to dance with, I’m sure of it.” 

 

Ko stuck her tongue out at him in jest, but let him be. He had already been a few drinks in before she started, so she could imagine that he was well into the “not fun” part of being intoxicated. 

 

She found her way to where others were dancing and a few people had taken to playing instruments to liven up the celebrations. Ko kicked off her sandals and waited for the current song to end and a new one to start up before she fell into an old, familiar dance. Gracefully she spun around, dipping low and reaching high. She had loosened the belt around her dress’ waist and was using that as a scarf, the flowing fabric accentuating her movements as she twisted and turned. 

 

Images of watching her mother dance and of learning how to from her flashed in her mind, and she smiled at the memories. Happy, quiet little things that nestled comfortably in her chest beside the anxiety. She thought fondly of her mother as she posed with the gentle stop of the music and then began another dance, an alteration of a traditional Doman dance. Usually it was meant to be done in dresses with long flowing sleeves, but her mother had adapted it to better fit the upbeat and evocative style of dancing she preferred. 

 

The beat of the drums seemed to sync perfectly with the pounding of her heart, and the world around her melted away. All she could feel and think about was the way her bare feet felt against the cool wood of the floor and how sweat beaded on her brow. She twirled, making grand gestures with her arms and then dropped low as she spun herself around with a kick. Her cheeks were flushed with drunken warmth and she grinned, relishing the elating joy of how it felt to just let go and enjoy herself through dancing. 

 

As the music came to a slow again, Ko looked up to see Atlan standing at the edge of the crowd and watching her with amusement. “Having fun?” He queried. 

 

She responded by hopping forward and taking both of his hands in hers. With the upswing of the next song, she spun herself around him and dragged him into performing a Steppe dance with her. It was the kind of dance that relied on the heavy beating of drums and was made with the height differences of their people in mind. Dancing with Atlan brought her back home, now to memories of the Azim Steppe rather than of Doma with her mother. She could almost see how her father’s face looked in the light of a campfire, content to watch the young folk dance and laugh.

 

By the time that third song ended, Ko’ruri was breathless and giggly. She caught her breath and leaned on Atlan, burying her face in his chest for a few moments. When she pulled away, she gave his hand one last squeeze and bid him goodnight, collecting her sandals before heading off. 

 

Ko wanted to turn in early while the happy intoxicated buzz lingered so she could lean into an easy, dreamless sleep. 

 

\- - -

 

When Ko’ruri woke up, she had less of a hangover than she anticipated. She thanked the kami silently for that and wondered how her half-brother was fairing. They’d probably run into each other before she left for Thanalan, as she had quite a bit of running around the Shroud to do. There was something about Sylphs that Commander Heuloix was supposed to debrief her about sometime this morning.

 

Ko glanced out the window of her inn room to see that the sun was barely rising over the horizon. Small miracles, she had plenty of time to have a lazy morning getting ready. She quick popped out of her room to place in an order for breakfast—mild green tea and plain rice—and brought the tray to her room. She curled up on her bed with her axe in her lap and began to methodically care for it. Something about sharpening and polishing weapons was a soothing, easy rhythm. After helping her father forge and care for the clan’s weapons for 12 years, she could practically do this in her sleep. 

 

After taking her time with caring for her axe and eating breakfast, she dressed in her new armor and headed off to the Twin Adder barracks to find Commander Heuloix. He began to explain the mission to her, and finished up by saying “I sent one of our new recruits that way about an hour prior so you might be able to meet up with her—red-haired elezen archer, should be easy enough to spot.”

 

Briefly Ko’ruri wondered if it could be the same archer that had helped her in Copperbell Mines and with Ifrit but dispelled the thought. She didn’t want to be hung over the idea of one pretty girl that was nice to her. It was best to do away with any thoughts like that so she didn’t get her hopes up, especially not for someone that was practically a stranger. 

 

Instead, she nodded to the commander and made her way to Hawthorne Hut. She remembered how to find the pier from visiting Lobelias’ house, and so it was easy enough to head there. The ferry ride was quiet and with few others onboard, so she silently watched the scenery of the Shroud with half-lidded eyes. 

 

The walk to Hawthorne Hut was uneventful for the most part until she caught sight of  _ that  _ archer ahead on the path. Her brow was drawn but she appeared more annoyed than thoughtful, until she caught sight of Ko’ruri in her peripheral and turned. Within seconds her face went to surprise and then excitement. Ko stopped where she stood and found herself staring, taking in the way that the smile lit up the elezen’s features. The corners of her eyes crinkl _ e _ d, and she waved enthusiastically before jogging towards her. Ko’ruri lifted one hand in a shy wave in response.

 

“Hello Ko’ruri!” The elezen beamed as she spoke and Ko briefly panicked— _ Kami, I never asked her name.  _ “I’m so glad we ran into each other, I was hoping you’d be able me with something if it wasn’t too much trouble?”

 

Ko nodded quietly and tilted her head in a way to indicate for her to continue explaining. She didn’t trust her voice to stay steady if she spoke, all she could think about was the woman’s smile and bright eyes. 

 

“The Scions have me meeting with the Sylphs, however, it turns out they communicate a lot through dancing,” she paused and grimaced, “I just  _ cannot  _ dance for the life of me. It’d a diplomatic disaster.”

 

“Oh,” Ko made a small noise and could feel her face getting hot. Had she seen her dance last night in the tavern? 

 

“I was hoping you’d be able to help me out with that. I saw you dancing last night and you’re so good, the Sylphs would love you!” 

 

This was it. This was how Ko’ruri Yukimura died. A pretty girl she had a passing crush on had seen her drunkenly dancing in a tavern.

 

“I, uh, I guess?” Her voice squeaked slightly on that, “I’m supposed to be meeting the Sylphs too, so I don’t see why not.” She was very pointedly  _ not  _ looking at her anymore and instead watching her own feet. 

 

The elezen clapped her hands together excitedly, “Thank you so much! I really was not ready to cause a scene with my two left feet.”

 

When Ko’ruri glanced back up and saw the way the woman was beaming ear to ear, her heart skipped a beat. If this embarrassment meant making her that happy, then it was worth it. 

  
  
**4\. Arrow to the heart**

 

Ko’ruri was spending an easy couple of days in Eastern La Noscea. She had managed to wiggle out of Scion and Grand Company obligations for a few days and decided to take some time to catch up on stocking some of her crafting supplies. She was mining for raw gemstones and sweating buckets in the hot midday sun. Her only relief was the cool ocean breeze that came up off of the beach. Her pack was full of chunks of rock and crystals that she’d have to grind and polish later.

 

Making the decision to head back to Wineport to drop her haul off and get some lunch, she headed out. Her shoulders were sore from carrying around a heavy bag all day on top of her axe, since she didn’t go many places without it—part because it seemed like the wildlife in Eorzea was always trying to kill her and part paranoia. She was eyeing a few of the coeurls as she walked on the road, not really wanting to deal with the hassle of one getting too territorial. 

 

Up ahead she could hear familiar snarls and growls that she recognized as one of the coeurls acting on its territoriality. Sighing, she silently resolved to help out if it was some wet behind the ears adventurer that bit off more than they could chew, no matter how much she wanted to sit in the shade and cool down. 

 

Ko quickened her pace and veered off of the road to find where the noise was coming from. Much to her surprise, she recognized the adventurer on the receiving end of a coeurl’s aggression. It was that elezen bard with the red hair and heart stopping smile. She had her bow drawn, bare biceps glistening with sweat as she pulled back an arrow and let it loose. The arrow lodged in the chest of the beast and it stumbled a few feet forward before slumping to the ground. 

 

Behind her, a second coeurl was beginning to pounce and Ko’ruri went to shout out a warning only for the elezen to whip around. With one fluid motion she notched a second arrow and fired at it, the arrow impacting sinking into its eye. 

 

_ Fuck _ , Ko thought,  _ that reaction time was hot.  _

 

The momentum of the coeurl’s body had it tumble forward and onto the archer. She backstepped but wasn’t able to catch her balance as she fell, pinned to the ground by its bulk. She groaned and let go of her bow, splaying both arms out to either side. 

 

It was silent for a few moments before Ko’ruri cleared her throat, “Need any help there?”

 

The elezen’s head snapped to the side and her eyes widened. She swore under her breath before panting, “Didn’t see you there.”

 

“Yeah, I, uh, just got here. Thought I heard someone being murdered by a coeurl,” Ko rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly as she spoke. She couldn’t help but be slightly grateful she didn’t have to do any work. Besides,  _ damn _ did she look good using a bow. 

 

She groaned in response, “Just leave me here to die.”

 

“But you got so far, the thing’s dead.” 

 

“At what cost, though?” 

 

Ko’ruri began to laugh before muffling it with a hand. Breathy, she said, “Had a long day, huh?” She sympathetically winced at the archer’s  _ I’m so done _ expression and walked forward, “Here, let me help you with that.”

 

Bending down slightly, she gripped around the coeurl’s chest with both of her arms and lifted it. She couldn’t do much more than drag the thing’s bottom half across the ground due to her height, but it was good enough to get it off of the elezen woman. Ko carried it a few feet over to where the other coeurl body was and dropped it with an exhale. Wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, she turned back to the elezen and asked, “Need help up?” 

 

She looked like she was really considering lying there but gave a slight shake of her head and pushed herself to her feet. She collected her bow and then walked over to remove and examine the arrows riddling the coeurls’ bodies. 

 

Ko’ruri watched her for a moment, eyes trailing over her muscled upper arms and the streak of coeurl blood across her face appreciatively. Then, she remembered something—the woman’s handkerchief! Quickly she began to search through her bag’s pockets until she found what she was looking for wrapped in a piece of rough, hempen cloth. After meeting her again in Gridania, she had taken to working on recreating the handkerchief that had been given to her in Copperbell Mines. Ko had felt awfully bad about ruining it with blood, so she painstakingly replicated the item in the off chance she would encounter the woman again. 

 

“This is for you,” she quietly murmured as she held out the handkerchief, “you gave me yours in Copperbell Mines.”

 

The elezen appeared surprised and there was a hint of something else on her face that Ko’ruri struggled to read. After hesitating a second, she smiled softly and took it from her hands. “Thank you. I appreciate the thought, but it really wasn’t necessary.” Her voice was low and warm. It was like honey to Ko’s ears. . 

 

“I felt bad about it, so I wanted to make you something,” Ko gave a one armed shrug, “itwasn’t a big deal.”

 

“You made this?” She questioned, and Ko nodded. After that, the archer thoughtfully thumbed at some of the stitched and examined the handkerchief more closely. 

 

Ko’ruri’s face burned and she began to second guess the gesture, “I’m sorry, I just thought—“

 

She interrupted her, “No!” she blurted out, “No, it’s fine. I’m just surprised you handmade this for me. It’s beautiful work.”

 

“Oh, uh. Thank you,” Ko ducked her head as she spoke, not used to such praise on her creations, “I hope that it’s close enough in quality to the original. I gave it a few attempts before I was happy with it.” She bounced slightly on her heels, not meeting her gaze. 

 

“Really, Ko’ruri, thank you,” she said with a smile as she put the handkerchief in her pocket. “It was nice seeing you again.”

 

Ko nodded and hummed in response, and the elezen headed off with a wave. As she watched her, her broad shoulders, and the way her hips swayed, Ko’ruri thought to herself  _ I’m so fucked.  _

  
  
**5\. How (not) to woo your crush in the Aurum Vale**

 

Ko’ruri was sick and tired of the Aurum Vale. It was humid yet still cold, she was covered in gold bile, and she couldn’t walk five feet without something trying to murder her. She had seen a few other adventurers here and there while trekking through this voidsent version of a swamp, occasionally helping them out when they overextended themselves. 

 

One of those adventurers was that pretty red-haired elezen. Ko jumped on the back on a morbol that was getting too close to the bard, grabbing it’s attention, and the creature was quickly dispatched of after that. She noticed that the women was comically bundled up, looking distinctly miserable about the weather. 

 

Ko sent her a sympathetic smile as she wiped blood from her axe, “Not too pleased about the cold?” she asked, a gentle teasing note to her voice.

 

“Not really,” the elezen mumbled, glaring at the corpse of the morbol, “not really a fan of morbols either, so thanks for the help there.” 

 

“You’ll get used to it soon enough,” Ko’ruri encouraged and then paused and added with a grin, “or you can just keep fire shards in your coat.” 

 

She laughed, high and light, covering her mouth with one hand, “I’ll have to keep that in mind next time I’m in Coerthas. Do you speak from experience?” 

 

Ko found herself longing to hear the woman’s laugh again, and her heart was pounding in her chest as she stuttered out a reply, “When I, uh, when I moved to the steppes as a child, I was so bothered by the cold wind that I’d shove my boots and dress pockets full of fire shards.”  _ Oh kami why did I say that, she’ll probably think I’m an idiot,  _ she thought to herself, but was instead treated by the elezen’s wide and charming smile.

 

“If it worked for you, I’ll be sure to try it,” the archer turned to a joking tone, “don’t happen to have any on hand?” 

 

Without thinking, Ko shoved a hand into one of her bag pockets she had forgotten to empty out before leaving for the vale. It was full of ore and gemstones along with other various goldsmithing supplies. She held out two fire shards in her hand, “You can take these, maybe it’ll make Aurum Vale less shitty.” 

 

“I didn’t actually expect you to have any on hand, but thank you nonetheless,” she laughed again as she accepted the shards and tucked them away into her coat pockets.

 

Ko’ruri felt heat gather on her face at the intoxicating laugh and ducked her head shyly, “Uh, yeah, any time” she murmured softly. “I should be getting back to things. More morbols to kill and all that, you know? She barely waited for a response before turning to hurry away, burying her face in one of her hands to try to muffle her embarrassment. 

 

Some time after she headed off on her own again, she encountered a cyclops at least four yalms tall.  _ The Coincounter _ the echo pressed at her, coupled with a warning of  _ danger _ . She sighed, running a hand through her hair, and decided to hunker down and wait for some of the other adventurers she had seen to find their way here. Ko’ruri rested her axe on her shoulder and leaned against a wall of the cavern, watching the yellowed landscape of the Aurum Vale with lidded eyes. 

 

Over the course of half an hour she was able to catch the attention of a miqo’te scholar and a highlander monk.They both looked haggard and roughed up, the scholar having a hastily healed over broken nose and the monk favoring one of her arms. Despite Ko’s concerns, both of them had been adamament on continuing to clear out the rest of the vale. She was just about to call it and have them start the fight when she caught sight of that elezen bard . Silently cursing herself for earlier, Ko waved her down and the scholar jumped in to speak before she could open her mouth .

 

“Care to help us clear out a particularly nasty looking monster?” He queried as he flipped through his codex.

 

“Oh,” she made a noise of surprise and Ko’ruri sweared that she glanced over at her for a moment, “of course, I’d love to help.”

 

A soft smile quirked up Ko’s lips and she looked over the bard appreciatively for a moment. She was tall with slender muscle, her arms and shoulders strong and toned from use of longbow. There was a harp on her hip and she once again found herself watching the way the elezen’s hips moved as she approached them. 

 

“Well, I guess we should be going, uh —I didn’t catch your name,” the miqo’te scholar turned to address Ko’ruri, and she was made very aware of the way she was staring. Embarrassed, she turned to hide the blush coloring her cheeks without responding. 

 

Ko hefted her axe from where it had been resting on her shoulder and took a deep breath as she rounded the corner to enter the cave where the cyclops, the Coincounter, lurked. Checking once behind her to see that the other adventurers were following, she fell into a run and shouted to grab the beast’s attention. She slid under its legs as she ran, forcing her axe up and slicing a long cut along one of its legs.

 

The Coincounter howled and turned on her with its mace immediately.  _ Perfect _ , Ko’ruri thought to herself,  _ it’s too pissed off to pay much attention to the others.   _ She was careful to follow up any hit the other adventurer’s landed with one of her own, putting as much power behind her swing as she could. The Coincounter’s attention was solely on her for most of the fight, just like she wanted it. 

 

Ko’ruri had just ducked under one of its swings when the echo pushed on her in alarm. Her eyes snapped up to where the miqo’te scholar was, shouting out a warning of “Look out!”. As the words slipped passed her lips, the Coincounter whirled around and a  _ lazer  _ fired from its eye. This thing had  _ lazers?  _

 

Despite Ko’ruri’s warning, the scholar didn’t have enough time to dodge out of the way, yelping as the lazer made contact with him. He grimaced in pain, groaning and falling to a knee as Eos flitted over to his side. 

 

“Look over here you dumb asshole!” Ko shouted, slamming her axe hard into the cyclops’ leg and cutting deep into its ankle. 

 

Angered, it swung its mace heavily and caught Ko’ruri on the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending her back a few feet. Her head spun as she laid on the ground for a few moments. A quick mental assessment let her know nothing was broken but her chest heaved with the effort to regain her breath. In the background she could hear the elezen’s bard shout of surprise, and Ko looked up to see her attempting to cross the cavern to get to her. 

 

Ko’ruri was still catching her breath and couldn’t shout out for her to stay back as the Coincounter shifted its grip on the mace and swung, two handed, in a circle around him. The monk barely managed to nimbly dodge out of the way but slipped in a pile of slick goldbile. The bard was not so lucky as the cyclops hit her squarely on her chest. There was an audible  _ crack  _ and Ko, stumbling to her feet, swore loudly and called out, “Just get out of here!”

 

Without any other prompting, the scholar and monk turned tail and began to dart out of the cavern. The pretty bard, however, was still dazed on the ground. Ko didn’t bother sheathing her axe as she bounded forward, barely stopping as she scooped up the elezen with one arm and slung her over her shoulder. The woman was probably a good foot taller than her, if not more, but adrenaline and a life of hard work made the weight almost negligible to Ko’ruri. 

 

The wheezing coming from her was concerning, and Ko’s brow knitted together as she began to sprint out from the cavern. She was careful to backtrack through areas she had cleared out earlier and dodged around puddles of gold bile. The last thing she needed was to poison herself with it. 

 

Ko waited until they were closer to the cave entrance to gently set the bard down on her feet. She still seemed a bit dazed and a hand came up to gently cradle her side before she grimaced at the touch. 

 

“Are are your ribs okay? I thought I heard something break,” Ko’ruri asked, worriedly watching her poke at possible injuries. 

 

She winced as she spoke, “Yeah, I do think something broke, but won’t know for sure until I can get to a healer.” Her voice was slightly breathy in pain. “Nothing too bad though, don’t believe I’ve popped a lung or anything of the sort.”

 

Ko nodded and, as the high of the battle and dashing away to save them from further injury faded, the reality sunk in. Last two time they met she had been too flustered to ask her name, and now she had carried the elezen like a sack of potatoes without warning. She was absolutely  _ mortified _ . There was no way to redeem herself after this, and she nearly buried her face in her hands to scream. 

 

“I—I gotta go,” she stuttered out. Damn, she felt like she was always running off from her encounters with this woman to save her pride. She swore that being around someone she had a crush on reduced her to the social graces of a morbol.

  
She could have sworn the elezen almost sounded disappointed as she murmured, “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you around.” 

 

“Right, right,” Ko didn’t meet her eyes and only hoped that her embarrassment didn’t show too much, “see you around,” she agreed, silently noting to herself that she’d have to flee into the wilderness to be killed by giant bees before she was ever able to face the woman ever again. 

  
  
  


**+1. A mother’s love**

 

Ko’ruri always enjoyed when she could find the time to herself to visit the crafters’ guilds she was part of. It was nice to be able to drop by and chat with other artisans while she worked, rather than pulling out her supplies in a cramped inn room. One of her weaver acquaintances, Alina, had asked her for help spinning thread for a project and Ko was happy enough to assist. It was one of those soothing, monotonous tasks that relaxed her, and she needed the practice anyways so it worked out. 

 

Alina was a middle-aged Hyur woman, amiable and sunny, always ready to chat someone’s ear off. It took two or so hours to spin enough dew thread for Alina, during which Alina talked and Ko listened. After handing off the thread, Ko’ruri searched through her bag and pulled out her own project she’s been working on. Her free company had recently purchased a plot of land in the Mist and were eagerly awaiting their estate hall’s construction. In a few months after it was built and furnished, they’d be throwing a party to celebrate, and so Ko’ruri was getting a head start on sewing a new dress for the occasion. Things always seemed to come up and get in the way, so she was certain to leave plenty of time to finish it. 

 

Last time she was at the Weaver’s Guild, she had painstakingly hand dyed and then painted the silk fabric. Whenever she had time while adventuring, she’d pull it out and begin cutting and hemming the fabric into pattern pieces. Weeks of slow progress finally led up to Ko being able to begin the process of sewing the actual dress together.

 

“It looks great so far, Ko,” Alina smiled fondly at her as she examined the fabric stretched out on the table. Ko hummed in thanks and set to work, beginning with the underskirt since it was the least complicated part of the outfit. 

 

Ko’ruri had just fallen into an easy rhythm with her stitches when she jolted at the sound of the guild door abruptly opening. She glanced up and started, her hand slipping and needle jamming into a finger, when she noticed it was that elezen archer. Quietly she swore under her breath and snatched her hand up towards her face as to not drip blood on her work. The elezen was approaching her workstation, loudly complaining, “Mom, have you seen my extra harp strings anywhere—“ and cutting off as she caught sight of Ko sitting wide-eyed at the table. 

 

From Ko’s side, Alina quickly stood up and embraced the elezen in a warm hug. “Aurie, this is the young woman I wanted to introduce you to!” 

 

They both stared at each other for a few moments before the silence was broken by Ko lifting one hand in an awkward wave. 

 

“Aurie, don’t be rude! Introduce yourself,” Alina scolded and jokingly pinched one of the elezen’s—Aurie’s—cheeks. 

 

Aurie swatted at her mother’s hands, flushing in embarrassment. “ _ Stop that, mom”  _ she hissed under her breath before clearing her throat, “It’s nice to see you again—Auraelie Draveaux at your service.”

 

_ Auraelie. Auraelie Draveaux,  _ Ko thought to herself,  _ It’s such a nice name.  _ Not to mention that she could finally stop referring to her as “the elezen” or “the archer” in her head, and was saved the stress about never having asked her name on accident. She scratched her cheek as she shifted and murmured, “I’m Ko’ruri, but you—you already know that, don’t you? I wasn’t aware Alina was your mother.” 

 

At mention of herself, Alina clapped her hands together and grinned, “It seems like someone somewhere needs help with something, so I’ll leave you two to chat.” Ko’ruri eyed Alina warily as she gathered some of her things and gave Auraelie a big kiss on the check.  _ She’s abandoning me. Alina is evil and she’s abandoning me to embarrass myself for the sixth time in front of her daughter.   _ She waved and hurried out of the guild, not paying Auraelie any mind as she began to yell after her. 

 

“Wait, mom, what about my harp strings?” Auraelie called out, but Alina had already passed through the doors of the guildhall leaving them alone. Or, well, as alone as you could be in a room full of people. After sighing and shaking her head, she turned to Ko and flashed her a soft, amused smile, “Funny how we keep running into each other and then apparently you know my mom.”

 

“I didn’t even realize she was your mom, to be honest,” Ko replied with a shrug. 

 

“Ah, we’re not biologically related but she and my other mother got together when I was pretty young,” Aurie paused and mused, “Can’t exactly see the family resemblance from that, though.” 

 

Ko’ruri nodded and started to muster her courage. She began, “You probably should find those harp strings of yours,” her voice trailed off, as she steeled herself against possible rejection and asked, “but why don’t we exchange linkpearls and talk some other time?”

 

Auraelie’s face split into a large, beaming smile that almost left Ko breathless. She excitedly clapped her hands together exclaiming, “I’d like that very much!”, and then pulled a linkpearl from her pocket. 

 

They registered each other as friends and said their goodbyes, properly this time and without either of them rushing away to do something or another. Aurie headed out on her way, and, for once, Ko felt confident after their interactions and wondered fondly when they’d next talk.  She stared at the fabric of the dress she was working on for a long while, grinning at nothing but the thought of that pretty red-haired bard, Auraelie Draveaux. 


End file.
